As was the norm back in the day, the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit was established on April 24, 1967 for a short mission; and quickly deactivated on October 20, 1967; exactly six months later. Later on, it was activated as the 36th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) participated in Exercise Staff Zugel in West Germany in 1975, marking the first time since World War I that Marines took a combined arms force ashore in Germany. The unit was re-designated as the 26th Marine Amphibious Unit in 1982, becoming part of a now permanent rotation cycle of three MAUs on the East Coast in 1985.
It’s notable that the unit was the first of the MAUs to undergo Special Operations Capability (SOC) training, earn the SOC qualification, and have AV-8B Harriers attached. In 1988 the unit was again re-designated as the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, a designation that the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) forward-deployed unit now uses as a sea based expeditionary crisis response force capable of conducting amphibious operations across the full range of military operations.
In this video, the famous 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Maritime Raid Force Marines conduct an advanced marksmanship range using M4 Carbines, among other weapons, during sustainment training. You can see why Marines are always ready for the toughest of the jobs.
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